As some of you may know, January 28th marks the Lunar New Year. In terms of the Chinese zodiac cycle, this year is the year of the Fire Rooster.

How appropriate that my last blog touched on pecking order, as we are about to enter into a time of rooster/chicken energy. Take a moment to think about the Rooster. You might have the picturesque image of a life on the farm, with a rooster weathervane and the sound of the rooster’s crow at dawn. But, have you ever actually had an encounter with one? Living in rural New Hampshire, just about everyone I know has some sort of horror story involving a rooster. Roosters have long (very sharp!) spurs on their feet, and are known to fight violently with each other, be rough with the hens, and even to chase or attack people. Just think about the connotation of the rooster in terms of cock fighting or being feather pecked and you start to get a sense of the kind of severity that may come with this year’s Fire Rooster energy.

My sense is that this year will also be one in which issues that we thought we had put to bed long ago get reawakened. Perhaps this has something to do with the awakening energy that is affiliated with the rooster’s morning crow. In the weeks approaching the new year I have found this phenomenon to be playing out on both the small and large scale. For instance, a dear and long-time friend of GHF wrote to us this week about confronting patriarchy in her family of origin. When she was a young teenager, she was forced to confront and stand up to her brother who had been molesting their younger sister. Now, many years later, she is being forced to muster up the courage to confront him yet again about another family matter. The injustices of patriarchy that she bravely opposed so long ago have manifested again and present her with a new, yet not unfamiliar, challenge.

I think this illustrates something that may emerge as a pattern in the year of the Fire Rooster. That is, having to re-confront–either within ourselves or in the external world–issues of hierarchy and bullying that we have already faced in the past. But I hope that this reawakening will also allow us to reawaken our inner strengths. Does the image of the Fire Rooster not also conjure up the image of the Phoenix, rising from the flames? A great triumph born of adversity. Perhaps this can be the saving grace in what feels in so many ways like a deeply oppressive year.

This feeling of oppression is very much a part of rooster energy, which also carries along with it a sense of rigidity and and stubborn confinement. Think of the rooster who rules over the hens in his roost. It is not an expansive territory or structure, and it is deeply patriarchal. Add to this the fiery nature of this year’s sign, and we can expect things to feel heated in the coming year. But this is not to say that we can’t make this a productive time. If we find a way to use this energy in balance, it may help us to become more organized and deliberate than before and our hard work will surely yield results.

 

As for finding a feeling of balance during the year of the Fire Rooster, Flower Essences will be of great help to us.  The energy of this year may feel very claustrophobic and stifling as things heat up, here are some Flower Essences from the Taiwan Collection that will be especially helpful:

Chinese Rain Bell – This Essence’s affirmation says it all: “I AM a breath of fresh air and a bowl of cool water”

Floss Flower from Taiwan – Protection from burn.

Eight Saints – Feeling in partnership with Daoist Ascended Masters

Creeping Daisy – A clarification of loyalty.

Raincoat Flower – “I AM awash in the marsh of love and I will do no harm.”

Round Plum Raspberry – Collected from the top of Jilong Fire Mountain, this essence helps us to balance action and inaction, and helps us to contain energy without expelling it immediately.

Orange Lantana – “I AM the soft glow of wisdom from the fires of group tumult.”

Sea Hibiscus – “I AM an ocean of wisdom in a sea of love.” Help to connect to inner friendship and guidance, supportive during times of new beginnings.

 

Also consider using these two in combination, especially if you are feeling overwhelmed or paralyzed by your emotional reactions to the new influx of energy:

Euphorbia of the Ancients – “I AM an ancient force of equanimity”

Equanimity – This year’s Venus Garden essence. The name speaks for itself!